Monday, January 31, 2011

I Heart Faces: Best Face Photo in January

This is another week of “People’s Choice Voting” at I Heart Faces. The challenge this week is your best face photo in January. I had several I could choose from but ultimately I chose this one because I love how genuinely happy she looks. If you like my entry, you can vote for it starting Tuesday! :)

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Menu Planning Monday

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  • Hamburgers with chips and jalapeño ranch dip (In a blender or food processor, mix Hidden Valley Ranch Mix, sour cream, one-two sliced up fresh jalapeños, and two-five tablespoons of pickled jalapeños. Dip will be thinner than a typical ranch dip. It is important to use a mixture of the fresh and pickled jalapeños – all fresh or all pickled doesn’t give the right balance of flavor. The number of jalapeños varies based on how spicy you want the dip. I usually start with a few, and add as I taste, keeping in mind that the dip will get a bit spicier as it sits in the refrigerator.)
  • Biscuits, gravy, and sausage (we never got around to eating when I planned it last)
  • Pioneer Woman’s steak bites with maybe her mashed potatoes. Per a family request, I didn’t get to try the mashed over Thanksgiving like I originally planned.
  • A variation of PW’s chicken spaghetti with a green veggie. I might double this up at the time I make it, and freeze one to use later.
  • Grilled pork chops with stovetop stuffing and a green veggie.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Birthday

This theme fell at a perfect time: Ella's birthday is Tuesday, and we did a litle celebrating with one set of the grandparents this weekend. I think this shot of Ella eating her cake is just precious. It is amazing how far she's come in a year - last year she couldn't use a fork!

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The Paper Mama

2011 Project 365: Week 4

Day 22 (1/22/11):
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Day 23 (1/23/11):
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Day 24 (1/24/11):
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Day 25 (1/25/11):
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Day 26 (1/26/11):
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Day 27 (1/27/11):
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Day 28 (1/28/11):
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I'm linking up with some other Project 365 blogs. Check them out!




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Friday, January 28, 2011

Things You Might See If

a toddler named Ella lived at your house.

A sippy cup in a dogfood bowl. 100903-IMG_9666

Stickers on a baby swing. 110126-IMG_8010.jpg

A book in a carseat.

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A horse on top of the dogfood container. 110127-IMG_8035.jpg

Twisted up buckles on a baby swing. 110127-IMG_8038.jpg

And, a monkey on a potty. 110113-IMG_7288.jpg

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Wordless(ish) Wednesday

The pictures of Ella are so funny that I could have posted them without commentary, but I couldn’t resist adding just a few words on this Wednesday.

Ella has been really loving to read There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System lately. I was going to read it to her, but she wouldn't let me. She wanted to read it by herself. So, she grabbed the book and Mr. Potato Head’s glasses, plopped herself on the couch, put the glasses on, and read the book. She was being SO incredibly serious. It was great!

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For more WW, check out The Paper Mama, 5 Minutes for Mom, and Live and Love Out Loud.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

I Heart Faces: Innocent Wonder

I had a very difficult time choosing a photo for this week's challenge. I have many photos of Ella where I can see the beautiful innocent wonder in her eyes as she experiences things for the first time. In this photo she's playing in our sage bush. She was absolutely amazed by it as she weaved in and out of the branches.

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Be sure to check out all the great photos at I Heart Faces this week!



Menu Planning Monday

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(Quesadilla made with leftover grilled sirloin steak. Yum!)
This week is going to be a little light on meals because we’ve got leftovers, and we have something going on at the end of the week so I won’t be cooking as much this week.
  • Leftover BBQ (from one of our favorite local places) with homemade black-eyed peas. This recipe was great, and it made a ton. I plan to use these black-eyed peas for two meals this week, and freeze the remaining batch for the future. I’ve never frozen black-eyed peas before, but I figure it is worth a shot!
  • Sausage, cornbread, and black-eyed peas.
  • Chicken with Pioneer Woman’s pasta in a tomato cream sauce. (Can you tell I like to try out PW’s recipes?) I’m going to try a goat’s milk thing instead of the heavy cream, as well as omit the butter, so that Ella can eat the pasta (she’s allergic to milk).
  • Grilled chicken with couscous and steamed broccoli.  I love these Ziplock steam bags for steaming veggies. So easy to use!
Last week we also ate leftover lasagna from this lasagna I made. It made SO much . . . we ate it for dinner and for lunch leftovers, and that was only HALF of the entire lasagna. I froze the remaining half, and reheated it at 350 degrees for about an hour. It was nice to already have it prepared and ready to pop in the oven!

Did you plan your meals? Link 'em up!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Happy 4 Months Troy!

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Having you and your sister makes me realize that time passes too quickly. In ways it seems like you were born just yesterday, but in others I feel like you’ve been part of our family for a very long time. Either way, it is hard to come to the realization that you are already 4 months old.
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This month you celebrated your first Christmas. It was so different from Ella’s first Christmas because she was already almost a year old at her first Christmas. Although you obviously couldn’t open your presents, you still got many great things from friends and family. Ella got to open some of your gifts for you as well.
You’ve really increased in your strength this month. The first photo below was taken at the beginning of January, and the second one was taken yesterday. It is amazing how much better you can lift yourself up now!
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You rolled from your belly to your back again, and have become an expert roller from your back to your belly. The first couple of times you rolled from your back to your belly you did it when you were swaddled! I was amazed! We can't swaddle you anymore because of your rolling skills . . . we wouldn’t want you to roll onto your belly swaddled and not be able to roll back to your back.
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You still love to be talked to and sung to. You smile often especially when we are talking or singing to you. You babble a lot, and it is so precious to hear your coo and blow bubbles. You smile so sweetly at your sister when she talks to you. I wish I could capture those moments forever. Although neither of y’all are smiling in this photo, it cracks me up because it is like y’all conspired together to make the same non-smiling face at me!
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Troy @ 3 months
Troy @ 2 months
Troy @ 1 month

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Hiding the Word in Their Hearts

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Psalm 119. This Psalm highlights and exalts God’s Word. and shows the great love and respect the Psalmist had for God’s law. I read portions of this passage often to remind me of the desire I should have for the Word of God.

I have mentioned several times that I think there is no greater task to me as a parent than to raise my children in the Lord. Part of that training involves instilling in them a love and longing for the Word of God. That training begins with a knowledge of God’s Word.

I plan to start preparing lessons to teach my children the Bible (of course, right now these lessons would be directed toward Ella since Troy is still so young). I’m hoping to use my blog as a way to not only save these lessons, but also share them with anyone else who might be interested. My thought, at least for now, is to call these lessons “Hiding The Word In Their Hearts” generally taken from Psalm 119:11. I am excited to begin digging into God’s Word for the specific purpose of teaching my children. I know that I will grow as I meditate on His Word.

Psalm 119:9-12

How can a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed according to Your word.

With my whole heart I have sought You.

Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O LORD!

Teach me Your statutes.

2011 Project 365: Week 3

Day 15 (1/15/11):
After an incredibly busy Saturday last week, I didn't get any pictures of my human kids . . .just one of my sweet pup, Reeses. Please ignore the dirty floor. It had been raining all weekend, and it was a fruitless effort to clean it at the time. :) 
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Day 16 (1/16/11):
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Day 17 (1/17/11):
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Day 18 (1/18/11):
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Day 19 (1/19/11):
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Day 20 (1/20/11):
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Day 21 (1/21/11):
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I'm linking up with some other Project 365 blogs. Check them out!






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